Whenever using Minion Beta (7/8.1/10 x64 edition) I type in SyncUI within the search box under Find More and it shows only SyncUI [Player] - outdated in the list and not this one. Shouldn't it show this one too? Maybe I'm missing something but I thought all addons on here it showed... It also doesn't detect it in the installed when it did for everything else (18 addons).... o.O

If it's a file you need to add, could you look into adding it so maintaining this addon is easily managed from mmoui please?

I even don't know how minion works, cause I prefer using curse client (up to date).
So, guess that minion currently has no support for compilations?! maybe, dunno...

So is this something you all need to add/fix or is it something the author/creator of SyncUI needs to fix? Also, if it is indeed something the Addon Creator/Author needs to fix by including a file, where can he or she find the necessary information in adding this to their file(s)/folder(s)?

Last edited by Tired85 : 08-18-15 at 11:03 AM.
Reason: included mmoui version that is being used

Minion does not support compilations, and probably won't any time in the near future, if ever.

For example, let's say you download Compilation X that contains Addon A, Addon B, and Addon C. Minion can't just assume that A + B + C = X because you could have just installed those addons individually, and if you did, it would be pretty bad for Minion to overwrite them with the versions from Compilation X, which might be out of date or modified.

Another big issue is that many compilations include files that don't go in the AddOns folder and/or require you to go in and make changes to folder/file names or contents by hand, like WTF folders. There's just no way for Minion to handle those cases. The Curse Client doesn't support non-AddOn files/folders either.

If SyncUI is all original code (rather than an actual compilation of other addons) and only installs into the AddOns folder, then it should probably just be moved to an addon category instead of the compliations category, but that would be up to its author.

If it is original (or heavily modified) code, then it belongs in the Suites category. But even those don't get picked up by Minion. (Because it may have some 3rd party addons installed, or they may even be modified versions that overwriting them would break your whole UI. )

__________________
"You'd be surprised how many people violate this simple principle every day of their lives and try to fit square pegs into round holes, ignoring the clear reality that Things Are As They Are." -Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

On a larger scale then the addon I mentioned, I can see that being the case. But it just doesn't do well whenever there is an addon author like the one I mentioned in the starter post who codes their own stuff instead of relying on other addons, and doesn't include WTF folders for installing since he or she has it so you can just drag and drop it within your /addons/ folder. However, due to the sheer number of addons and SyncUI just being a gem among them all (due to the aformentioned), I do realize one doesn't weigh over the many. But shouldn't there be a way for addon developers to submit their addons for mmoui use and the devs allow a strict script to be ran which checks for things like WTF folders and the like? I think a cron job set to fire on submission that is ran on a file should be able to be built. It could do something like this:

1. Read check list from site itself when a user opens the program by checking it against a github like repository
2. If result is true and stuff does exist then reject the display of it on mmoui by entering a 1 within the database field of the site but if it's false then then that data has passed the check and labeled 0 this can then be output to a whitelist on what page ID has been approved via a cron and update its github like repository with the whitelist of page ID's that have been approved to be shown on mmoui client.

As for the whitelist itself, this list could be set to update the main whitelist on a "github" like repository once or twice a week so it isn't as bandwidth intensive and slowing things down due to the abundance of users updating their addon whitelist which allows mmoui to show the whitelisted addons on its program when searching.

But yeah... if what you said is true then I can see why people use "others" instead of mmoui because they don't judge against it. However, I bet if there were an approved whitelist for programs which passes an aggressive script analysis on how the folder structure should look like (things it shouldn't have in it like WTF directory) then I could see it as plausible for things like that to occur -- that those that didn't pass would not be included in mmoui search field(s).

It all originally is supposed to boil down to helping the end-user to not only better maintain their addons and updates but also to bring in people to use wowinterface products (site+client) and unfortunately being bias in that regard without a way to allow those that aren't utilizing folder structures like the WTF folder within their addons is just plain wrong because otherwise what is the actual point of building a program if it doesn't allow those that doesn't go against those rules, even though it's being categorized in the appropriate current list of categories in-which its supposed to go in due to what the addon does. I personally can only see three options....four if you want the one that the developers of mmoui doesn't want to hear...so I wont list the fourth one.

1. Use an aggresive script checking like I said above when user is uploading their addon for patterns/folder structures.
2. Add a new category which is specific to Original UI's and doesn't house compilations of other addons -compatability being added should the downloader wish to use something like bagnon instead of the UI author's...This should have a rule of thumb that you don't override the WTF folder in anyway thus why it's called "Original UI".
3. Allow all addons to be shown and warn the user before downloading addons that alters files in the WTF directory through a popup "This addon developer alters the WTF Directory with their own setting files, are you sure you wish to install this addon? Approve or Cancel" then have a Show Files button that you can click and it shows what files it adds to what directories within a text field box which only allows paging up/down.

Of course if people didn't care then they could always include a "don't show warnings" tick option within their options panel of mmoui.

But yeah... if what you said is true then I can see why people use "others" instead of mmoui because they don't judge against it.

The Curse Client doesn't support compilations either. There's no "judgement" going on here. Right now it's simple -- if it's a compilation, you have to install and update it by hand. Your proposed solutions would just make things more complicated and less consistent for everyone. Site staff would have to spend time examining existing compilations and coming up with tests and writing code to handle all the different cases. Uploaders would have to learn a bunch of new rules in order to pass the tests and get their compilation listed. Users would have no clue what was going on or why some compilations showed up but others didn't.

And none of your solutions address the issue of compilations that modify the addons they include. There's no way for an addon updater to tell whether what's installed is a modified version or not. For example, if you install a compilation that has a modified version of oUF_Karma and a stock version of DBM, what should happen when a new version of oUF_Karma appears? Should it update, losing the modifications? What should happen when a new version of DBM appears? Should it play it safe and not update, leaving you with old boss mods? Should it ask you and make you figure it out and tell it what to do in each case?

Also, none of your solutions address the issue of how to detect whether A + B + C = Z or not, nor any of the more mundane issues around how installations and updates should actually be handled -- if you download a compilation that includes a WTF folder, how does the updater know how to rename all the WTF subfolders? If it includes different WTF folders for different screen resolutions, or different gameplay roles (eg. tank vs healer), how does it know which one to use? Once you've got it installed, when a new version appears, how does it know which WTF files/folders it should overwrite? Or should you just have to set everything up again if you made any config changes or collected any data (like boss kill stats, auction price history, etc)?

There are just so many issues that -- as you yourself pointed out -- it's just not worth it to spend all this time adding all this complexity to try to imperfectly support the really tiny minority of addon-related downloads that aren't actually addons.

A better solution that doesn't have any of these issues would be to just not upload things to the compilation category that are not, in fact, compilations.

A better solution that doesn't have any of these issues would be to just not upload things to the compilation category that are not, in fact, compilations.

Originally Posted by Seerah

If it is original (or heavily modified) code, then it belongs in the Suites category. But even those don't get picked up by Minion. (Because it may have some 3rd party addons installed, or they may even be modified versions that overwriting them would break your whole UI. )

Well according to Seerah's post categories doesn't really affect the problem since things are still not being picked up correctly (where he or she mentions Suites category); even though it could be reduced by adding addons in a different category, it would still need to be fixed since the problem still exists even if in a different category.

I said that if the UI is all/most original code (or heavily modified addons), then it belongs in the Suites category. But that even that category is not supported by Minion (on purpose) because of all of what Phanx just said.

__________________
"You'd be surprised how many people violate this simple principle every day of their lives and try to fit square pegs into round holes, ignoring the clear reality that Things Are As They Are." -Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh